Reversible reinforced woven fabric



Sept. 19, 1967 G. F. SPOERRY 3,342,222

REVERSIBLE REINFORCED wovnu FABRIC Filed Feb. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR George F. SPOERRY ATTORNEYS Sept. 19, 1967 e. F. SPOERRY 5 2 REVERSIBLE REINFORCED WOVEN FABRIC Filed Feb. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 54 24 j INVENTOR George F. SPUERRY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,342,222 REVERSIBLE REINFORCED WOVEN FABRIC George F. Spoerry, Granby, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Dominion Corset Company Limited, Quebec, Quebec, Canada Filed Feb. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 527,236 7 Claims. (Cl. 139-384) This invention relates to the manufacture of woven fabrics and particularly to an improved woven reinforced fabric in which groups of stiffening threads are interwovenin spaced parallel arrangement to provide a reversible fabric having stiffening ridge-s on both sides of the fabric in staggered .arrangement and extending in a weft-wise direction. Such reinforced or stiffened fabrics are particularly suitable for use in the bust sectionsof brassieres, or in corsets or other foundation garments.

The essential feature of this invention consists in the provision of groups of parallel cotton weft threads, or picks, positioned consecutively, in a warp-wise direction, on each side of the fabric and locked together by interwoven cotton warp threads, to form a finished reversible fabric having the characteristics of stiffness in a weft-wise direction and relative pliability in a warp-wise direction.

An alternative embodiment provides a plurality of cotton weft threads, interspersed between the consecutively positionedupper-and lower stiffening ridges, to provide a finished fabric having consecutive stiffened and unstiffened laterally extending sections which provide stiffness in a weft-wise direction and an increased pliability in a warp-wise direction.

It is, therefore, the main object of this invention to provide an improved woven fabric which includes stifiening ridges extending in a weft-wise direction and positioned consecutively, in a warp-wise direction, on each side of the finished fabric, to provide a reversible stiffened woven fabric which will provide support on both sides.

Another object is to provide an improved reversible stiffened fabric in'which the stiffening characteristics are embodied in the woven construction of the fabric, and thus the fabric will retain its superior stiffness and supporting characteristics after repeated launderings.

A further object is to provide an improved stiffened woven fabric which includes laterally extending sections of plain fabric woven between the consecutive laterally or weft-wise extending upper and lower stiffening ridges, to provide a fabric combining stiffness'in a weft-wise direction and increased pliability in a warp-wise direction, thus facilitating the use of this fabric in applications requiring close coverage of body contours.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be further apparent by referring to the following detailed specification and figures, in which:

3,342,222 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 ing upper and lower stiffening ridges 22 and 24, respecportion of an improved reversible and stiffened fabric woven in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic cross-section on 2-2 of FIGURE 1, to a furher enlarged scale, showing the manner in which the first and second top Warp threads, and the bottom warp thread, are woven.

FIGURE 3 is a section, similar to FIGURE 2 but in full detail, illustrating the manner in which the first top warp thread only is interwoven.

FIGURE 4 is a section, similar to FIGURE 2 but in full detail, illustrating the manner in which the second top warp thread only is woven.

FIGURE 5 is a section, similar to FIGURE 2 but in full detail, illustrating the manner in which the bottom warp thread only is woven.

Referring more particularly to the figures, the finished fabric 20 is woven to provide parallel weft-wise extendtively, spaced consecutively in a warp-wise direction.

The core of each upper stiffening ridge 22 is formed by three picks 26, 28, and 30, of No. 60/ 2 natural cotton. Picks 26, 28, and 30 are partly covered by four cover picks 32, 34, 36, and 38, also of No. 60/ 2 natural cotton. The core covering is completed by two locking picks 40 r and 42, also ofNo. 60/2 natural cotton, placed one on each side of the core. The right hand side locking pick 42 also serves to lock in place the core of the lower 'stiffeneing ridges 24, formed on the reverse side of the fabric.

The core of each lower stiffening ridge 24 is formed by I three picks 44, 46, and 48, of No. 60/2 natural cotton. 1

Picks 44, 46, and 48 are covered by four picks 5'0, 52, 54,

and 56, also of No. 60/2 natural cotton, with pick 42 serving to lock the cores in place, as: previously stated.

The weaving process will be described beginning at the right hand side of the figures and proceeding towards the left hand side.

The fabric is woven simultaneously in the warp direction and consecutively in the weft direction, i.e. upper and lower reinforcing ridges 22 and 24, respectively, are built up alternately top and bottom.

As previously mentioned the warp threads are woven simultaneously. However, to simplify description, each warp thread will be considered separately, as follows:

Referring to FIGURE 3 first top warp thread A passes under locking pick 58, which is positioned between adjacent upper stiffening ridges 22, and then passes over and around locking pick 42. Top warp A then passes downwardly and is interwoven with lower core cover picks 50, 52, 54, and 56, of lower stiffening ridge 24. Top warp A then passes upwardly between locking pick 42 and core pick 30, and is interwoven with upper core cover picks 32, 34, 36, and 38,. of upper stiffening ridge 22. Upper warp A then passes downwardly and under locking pick 58 to start a new cycle of weaving operation.

Referring to FIGURE 4, second top warp B passes under locking pick 58 and over and around locking pick "42, together with top warp A. Top warp B then passes downwardly, dividing from top warp A, and is interwoven with lower core cover picks 50, 52, 54,. and 56, in an interwoven direction opposite to that of top warp A. Top

.warp B then passes upwardly between locking pick 42 and core pick 30, together with top warp A, and then again divides from top warp A and is interwoven with upper core cover picks 32, 34, 36, and 38, again in an interwoven direction opposite to that of top warp A. Top warp .B then passes downwardly and under locking pick 58,

together with top warp A, to start a new cycle of weaving operation.

Referring to FIGURE 5, lower warp C passes over and around locking pick 58 and under locking pick 42. Lower warp C is then floated over core picks 44 and 48, under core picks 30 and 28 and locking pick 40. Lower warp C then passes over and around locking pick 58 to start a new cycle of weaving operation.

Thus the cores and cover picks of stiffening ridges 22 and 24 are securely locked together between warp threads A and B and warp thread C, and are held against displacement from the designed ridge grouping and the parallel spaced relation between the upper and lower ridges in the longitudinal plane of the fabric.

In an alternative execution of this invention, additional picks will be positioned adjacent locking picks 58, to provide lateral sections of plain woven unstiffened fabric between the upper and lower stiffening ridges, for purposes of increasing the pliability of the fabric in a warpwise direction. I

In this alternative execution top warp threads A and B and lower warp thread C will be interwoven around the 3 additional picks, in a manner similar to the interweaving of locking picks 58.

An example of a fabric woven as above described is as follows:

HAFNER QUALITY RC-226 Warp 2 Beam Job Top Wrap 60/2 (3.1. Natural Cotton 5,300 ends. Bottom Warp Do. Filling o 17 Px repeat. Selverlges 8/5 K.P. Cotton Bleach (Catch rd).

50/2 0.1. Natural C0tton (Selvedges).

Warp Pattern Repeat Total Ends Beam 1 1 1X5, 300 5, 300 Beam 2 1 1 5, 3

Reed: 40/4/1 Gear: 76Dead Px Pick Off Loom: 436 Pick Finish: 442 Width in Reed: 66.9 Width Finish: 03/64 Ribs Finish: 25/26 Ribs each side Entering: Harnesses (Weave) 2 Harnesses (Selvedges) E Total.

It will be understood that, in the figures, the woven threads have been illustrated to a greatly enlarged scale in order to clearly show the details of the weave and the formation and locking of the upper and lower stiffening ridges.

The permanent stiffness of the material is achieved by the weave design and characteristics of the raw materials used. Thus the use of fine threads (No. 60/2) in the weave as aforedescribed, combined with a conventional permanent finishing treatment, will produce a weave offering improved support and long lasting qualities. The use of a finishing treatment will also enable the degree of stiffness and the shrinkage of the fabric to be controlled.

The weave aforedescribed can be varied to increase or decrease the stiffness of the upper and lower stiffening ridges, or to increase or decrease the pliability of the lateral sections between the stiffening ridges, or combinations of such variations. These variations can be achieved by increasing or decreasing the number or diameters of the picks or warp threads, or by varying the materials used in the fabric construction.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still further embodiments without departing from the inventive concept disclosed herein, and it is desired therefor that only such limitations be imposed on the appending claims as are stated herein, or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. A stiffened woven fabric comprising warp and weft threads, said fabric having parallel stiifening ridges extending outwardly and consecutively from the upper and lower surfaces thereof and in weft-wise directions, each of said stiffening ridges comprising a plurality of weft core threads grouped in parallel relation and substantially covered by a plurality of weft cover threads, and locking weft threads positioned on each side of the upper groups of said core threads, certain of said warp threads being interwoven with said locking threads and said cover threads and the remainder of said warp threads being interwoven with said locking threads and floated under said upper core threads and over said lower core threads to securely lock said core threads between said warp threads, said fabric characterized by relative stiffness on both sides in a weft-wise direction and relative pliability in a warp-wise direction.

2. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 1 including additional weft threads positioned between said locking threads and said warp threads being interwoven with said additional weft threads, to increase the pliability of said fabric in a warp-wise direction.

3. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 1 in which adjacent upper and lower stiffening ridges are arranged in staggered relation to each other, in the vertical longitudinal plane of the fabric.

4. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 3 in which one of said locking weft threads in each of said upper ridges serves additionally as a locking weft thread to an adjacent lower ridge.

5. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 1 in which said warp and weft threads are of cotton and are of substantially similar diameters.

6. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 1 in which a series of three warp threads form a weave pattern with said weft threads, and in which said upper ridges comprise three core weft threads, four cover weft threads and two locking weft threads, and said lower ridges comprise three core weft threads and four cover weft threads, two warp threads being interwoven with said locking weft threads then consecutively interwoven with the cover weft threads of the lower and upper stiffening ridges, and the other warp thread of the series being interwoven with said locking weft threads and floated over the lower core weft threads and under the upper core weft threads.

7. A woven fabric as set forth in claim 6 including additional weft threads positioned between said locking weft threads, and said series of three warp threads being interwoven with said additional weft threads to provide a fabric having lateral unstiffenend sections between the stiffening ridges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,190,052 2/1940 Amyot 139-384 2,609,013 9/1952 Amyot 139384 2,754,855 7/1956 Foley 139384 2,940,478 6/1960 Hendley 139-3842 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. H, S, JAUDON, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A STIFFENED WOVEN FABRIC COMPRISING WARP AND WEFT THREADS, SAID FABRIC HAVING PARALLEL STIFFENING RIDGES EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND CONSECUTIVELY FROM THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES THEREOF AND IN WEFT-WISE DIRECTIONS, EACH OF SAID STIFFENING RIDGES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF WEFT CORE THREADS GROUPED IN PARALLEL RELATION AND SUBSTANTIALLY COVERED BY A PLURALITY OF WEFT COVER THREADS, AND LOCKING WEFT THREADS POSITIONED ON EACH SIDE OF THE UPPER GROUPS OF SAID CORE THREADS, CERTAIN OF SAID WARP THREADS BEING INTERWOVEN WITH SAID LOCKING THREADS AND SAID COVER THREADS AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID WARP THREADS BEING INTERWOVEN WITH SAID LOCKING THREADS AND FLOATED UNDER SAID UPPER CORE THREADS AND OVER SAID LOWER CORE THREADS TO SECURELY LOCK SAID CORE THREADS BETWEEN SAID WARP THREADS, SAID FABRIC CHARACTERIZED BY RELATIVE STIFFNESS ON BOTH SIDES IN A WEFT-WISE DIRECTION AND RELATIVE PLIABILITY IN A WARP-WISE DIRECTION. 